Naperville students return after H1N1-related death

Naperville North freshmanLogan McCue (left), walks to school this morning with his sister Cassidy McCue (right) and Katie Cook, both juniors, on Tuesday. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)

As they returned to school this morning, Naperville North High School students placed flowers and notes by the locker of Michelle Fahle, a classmate who died last week after contracting the H1N1 flu virus.

Friends of the 14-year-old also planned to observe a moment of silence during the morning announcements, said Alexa Hansen, Michelle's best friend.

Today marked the first school day since Michelle's death. DuPage County health authorities said last week she had contracted the virus but had an underlying heart condition that made her more vulnerable to the illness.

"It's going to be a weird day," said Morgan Meyer, a 17-year-old junior who didn't know Fahle, but predicted that many students would be thinking of her as they walked the hallways. "Nothing has really happened like this at North."

Jessie Rehs, a 16-year-old junior said her parents told her to be careful and wash her hands frequently. She always carries a 2 oz. bottle of hand sanitizer in her purse, but on this morning, it felt a bit more important.

"I take very serious care of my health," Rehs said.

Other students, like 14-year-old Paul Hunter, said they weren't overly worried because they knew Michelle's heart condition played a major role in her death. Hunter said he had friends who were infected with the H1N1 virus and recovered.

"A lot of people have been getting swine flu," Hunter said.

Rachel Reilly, 16, a junior, said Fahle's death made her realize the importance of staying home if she felt ill so as not to spread any potential germs. She didn't think about it quite as much before.